Miklagard - Norway

Very good conditions. Long and difficult holes. A bit boring course. A bit to much noise from the road.

Miklagard is a great course based close to the Oslo Gardermoen airport. The course is in excellent condition and boasts top facilities (by Norway's golf standards) including a large club house and modern training academy, which makes the overall experience perhaps the best you can get in Norway. The golf course in itself is more "very good" rather than outstanding, although it has gotten better every time I've played it (played it 4 times). A few of the front holes have a quite close proximity to the local road, and the course is based in a forest / parkland area which is nice but nothing out of the ordinary for that part of the country. The course is still well worth a visit if you're in the Oslo / Oslo Airport area.

I was lucky enough to play in the Norwegian Challenge pro-am event today at Miklagard, taking place in advance of the latest competition on the European Challenge Tour which starts tomorrow. The Norwegians certainly constructed a monster of a layout when they commissioned this modern golf course - purpose built for national and international golf tournament play - and I can see a lot of traditionalists not taking a shine to a bold and brash young pup that bears little resemblance to any of the highly regarded old Norwegian tracks which have evolved down the years in this part of Scandinavia.

It may also not endear itself to many ordinary, medium to high handicap players as it’s very tough and uncompromising - with a slope rating of 144 from the back markers - which is just what elite golfers require if their superior golfing skills are to be challenged, of course.

It’s evident that a substantial cubic yardage of dirt was moved when sculpting the fairways and greens here and there’s also a fair amount of sand and water to add further difficulty to the task in hand.

Greens (which have an innovative sub-air system installed) were running at a mere 10.7 on the stimpmeter in preparation for the professional tournament when I played and I doff my golfing cap at the top pros who appear to take such slick green speeds in their stride, especially on the undulating, multi-tiered putting surfaces here.

I can’t recommend a visit to play Miklagard for those seeking a typical Norwegian golfing experience - look elsewhere, as there are plenty of those to be found all over the country - but for golfers who want to play an engaging new millennium modern golf track that will test their game to the fullest, it has my wholehearted endorsement.

Just take extra care in choosing the most appropriate tees that will allow you to best tackle this impressive Nordic giant.

Jim McCann